


Hot Chocolate Makes Medicine

by HiddenSt0rms



Category: One Piece
Genre: Cute, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Innocence, Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates As Family, Oneshot, Plus who doesn't have a soft spot for Chopper, Sanji is a lot nicer when Zoro isn't around, Sanji is like a big brother to Chopper, The Thousand Sunny, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:07:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22657537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenSt0rms/pseuds/HiddenSt0rms
Summary: Sanji knows the perfect recipe to keep a hardworking Chopper awake.
Relationships: Tony Tony Chopper & Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	Hot Chocolate Makes Medicine

As boring as watch could be, it was always a nice break from the noise and chaos that was life aboard _Sunny_. A chance to actually hear one’s thoughts, something Sanji especially took advantage of when meal planning. He’d recently discovered that color coding meals based on nutrient value made it easy to include all the food groups while spreading them out evenly throughout the week. Then of course that damn marimo had found the journal and blasted Sanji for “wasting time coloring like a little kid.” Cue the kicks and slashing of swords.

But that was way behind them now, as were the majority of their fights. Sanji disposed of his cigarette butt into the ashtray and closed his journal, exchanging a few words with Brook as they switched shifts. He then headed to the kitchen for a quick late night snack, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed the light on in the sickbay. 

Sanji looked over curiously, if not with a bit of concern. It was no doubt Chopper in there as he considered the sickbay to be his personal room, but the real question is _what_ Chopper was doing. The bed was banned from personal use to keep it sterile and ready for use at all times, ruling out the possibility of him being asleep. Unless he was asleep on the floor, which while was possible for what was technically an animal, Chopper still preferred a real bed like the others, where he could cocoon himself in a soft blanket on an equally soft mattress. Perhaps Chopper was treating someone, which would be odd given that everyone seemed fine at dinner. Unless someone actually wasn’t? 

Now with increased concern, Sanji knocked on the door politely before poking his head in. “Chopper?”

“ACK!” Chopper startled at his desk amidst a pile of work papers, open textbooks, rulers, and pencils. Some flew to the floor, but Chopper paid it no attention, only keeping his eyes towards the blond in the doorway. “Did something happen? Is everyone okay?” 

Sanji gave a reassuring smile as he bent down to pick everything up. “Nothing, everyone’s fine. I was just wondering what you’re doing up so late.”

“Oh,” Chopper blushed and glanced back at his workstation. “I’m studying. I bought a bunch of new medical books on our supply run and I couldn’t wait to read them.” 

“But it’s late and you look really tired. Why don’t you just read them tomorrow?” Sanji asked gently, taking in the drooping eyes staring up at him. 

“You see, that was my original plan, but then I got stuck on this concept,” Chopper admitted with resentment. “It must be a new discovery because I’ve never even heard of it before, not even from Doctorine!”

Sanji tilted his head to the side, frowning a bit. “But this late? Aren’t you always fussing at us for _our_ unhealthy sleep habits? And before you lecture me, I’m only up because of watch.”

It was true. Chopper had especially just about had it with Zoro, who genuinely thought it was a good idea to sleep 4 am to 7 am with naps in between to “compensate.” That swordsman just didn’t understand the importance of prolonged REM, no matter how hard the poor reindeer tried to explain.

“I need to be the very best doctor I can be for the crew of the future Pirate King.” Chopper’s face was determination, and then it all made sense now.

Chopper was their doctor, but sometimes it didn’t feel that way to the world, with his reputation as the small, cute pet of the Straw Hats with a 50 Beri Bounty (even if only one of those words was false). And it didn’t help that he often worked in the shadows. Unlike Sanji, who almost always had an audience when he was cooking (Luffy), or Nami, who gave her orders to the entire crew at once, Chopper only got to do his job during the times when someone was sick or hurt. And even then, it was behind closed doors in his office to respect his nakama’s privacy and pride. 

But that didn’t mean Chopper could completely relax in between these times. He had to keep his knowledge up to date as medicine is ever-changing, something likely only able to be done at night. Days aboard _Sunny_ were always loud and Chopper wasn’t the type to risk hurting his nakama’s feelings by shutting them out to study alone. Unlike Robin, who could study in the daytime with no issues with the noise because she was just like that, or Nami, who would literally beat her crew into being quiet if she needed total concentration to draw her maps, Chopper probably needed complete silence, something that could only come when the others were physically unconscious. 

An idea sprung to Sanji’s mind, and he ruffled Chopper’s head with a small smile. “How about I make you something to keep you up? A little treat, perhaps?”

Chopper instantly perked up, prompting Sanji to leave towards the kitchen. He rummaged through the cabinets, lips pursed in thought and eventually a frown. His initial thought had been to brew coffee but now that Sanji thought about it, he couldn’t remember ever seeing Chopper drink it. It was usually Robin who requested coffee on the daily, who always asked for it black, maybe with a dash of milk on an adventurous day. Next was Nami, who preferred it mixed into a frozen concoction akin to a milkshake, even if it did take longer to prepare (but anything for Nami-swan). Perfectly refreshing for hot days ondeck keeping an eye on the weather, caffeinated enough to keep her from losing her mind along with her temper, whipped cream on top if she needed a sugar fix. And Sanji himself only resorted to coffee if it had been a late night or would be a long day; he certainly didn’t need caffeine added to his list of addictions. 

But that seemed to be it. Brook always preferred tea (and obnoxiously so), Franky had his cola, Zoro refused to rely on a ‘lowly drink’ for energy (as if he didn’t sleep all the damn time anyway), and Luffy was downright banned from excess caffeine for obvious reasons. Still, it seemed odd for a doctor to never request coffee, but - wait - 

Chopper was an animal with heightened senses. The bitter taste must always be too strong for him, even when masked by the richest of creams. On that thought, Chopper did like sweet things...

Sanji heated up the stove and pulled out the chocolate and milk. He stirred the liquid around until it was nice and warm, then transferred it to a mug. And just because the doctor of the future Pirate King deserved only the damn best, Sanji topped the hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmallows, and sprinkles. For the finishing touch, Sanji added in a shot of caffeine so that Chopper would get the same energy from coffee without having to suffer from the taste. 

“This would probably never be Doctor’s Orders but,” Sanji said, coming back into the sickbay. “Perhaps this can be Cook’s Orders?”

Chopper’s eyes grew the size of his face at the sight of his treat. “Thank you so much, Sanji!” 

“Of course.” Sanji smirked as Chopper took a long sip, rejuvenated eyes taking in the textbook before him. It reminded the chef of his days aboard _Baratie_ , sneaking into the kitchen after dark to teach himself as much as he could as if he hadn’t been in the kitchen all day and would be for the rest of his life. 

Only if caught by Zeff, Sanji wouldn’t have received hot chocolate and kindness. More like: _“Get out of my damn kitchen before you break something, little brat! Get your ass in bed or you’ll be a grumpy bastard tomorrow!”_

Not that the harsh words ever stopped Sanji...

* * *

The next morning, Sanji was the first one up save for Brook still on his shift, and returned to the kitchen to start breakfast. He was surprised once again to see light underneath the sickbay door and wondered if the poor reindeer really had gone the whole night without sleep after all. But when Sanji peeked inside, he saw Chopper fast asleep with his head down on the desk, an open textbook serving as a pillow next to a spotless mug. He looked so peaceful, a far contrast from last night’s intense focus and slight frustration.

Sanji fished a blanket out from a cabinet and carefully draped it around the shoulders of the sleeping form, the same way Zeff had done for him in the mornings after his rebellious work sessions. Of course Zeff would always gruffly deny being the one responsible for the blanket, but Patty and Carne would always witness it (silently to keep their jobs). 

Chopper’s brow furrowed a little at being disturbed, but it soon faded into relaxation at the sudden warmth. 

Sanji decided that caffeinated hot chocolate would be on the breakfast menu as well.


End file.
